Our mission is to find the best unpublished short story – one that fits into legendary crime writer Margery’s definition of what makes a great story:

“The Mystery remains box-shaped, at once a prison and a refuge. Its four walls are, roughly, a Crime, a Mystery, an Enquiry and a Conclusion with an Element of Satisfaction in it.”

The international competition is open to all – both published and unpublished authors from all over the world – and is for short stories of up to 3,500 words. All that we ask is that the story has not been previously published anywhere, or shortlisted for this competition, so whether you polish off a dusty draft or craft a brand new idea is totally up to you.

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The Margery Allingham Short Story Competition 2019 opens on 1 October 2018.
Closing date is 28 February 2019 at 6pm.

Any queries: please email